richard_marsh_the_beetlefandomcom-20200214-history
Gender Studies
Surprise! The Beetle ''fixates fairly heavily on notions of gender, masculinity, and (necessarily) queerness as a means of "othering", and so therefore do most of our papers! Masculinity It is only appropriate to start this discussion with the "hero" of the text - pure, red-blooded manliness. Really, many of the text's anxieties revolve around masculinity, what constitutes "acceptable" masculinity, threats to it, and so on - but more on that in a moment. "In Richard Marsh’s, ''The Beetle, there is an underlying focus on male relationships and how they work within an imperialistic society within nineteenth century London. The relationships between Paul Lessingham, Sydney Atherton, and Mr. Lindon are intrinsically shaped by imperialist ideas about England and masculinity. In this situation the novel expresses ideas of proving oneself and ones abilities in comparison to other men especially in regard to an “other” which is different from your own ideas. These ideas are seen most clearly through the interactions between Lessingham and Atherton in regards to Marjorie Lindon and Lessingham and Mr. Lindon with their differing political views. Other characters such as Robert Holt, Augustus Champnell, and Marjorie Lindon will be used as means of analysis when looking at the three men’s relationships. Looking towards scholarly work by Melissa Shields Jenkins, Adam Dighton, and Natasha Rebry, I will examine how these men’s actions are strategic examples of imperialistic beliefs and how that has shaped their masculine identities." In her introduction to her piece, Shannon identifies the role of masculinity not only in the novel itself, but in Victorian society, and notes its relationship to imperialism. The interplay of imperialism and socially acceptable forms of masculinity are integral as well to understanding the role of Holt in the novel, particularly the significance of his ultimate fate. Gender-Based Anxiety Discussion of Holt leads neatly into anxieties surrounding the blurring of gender norms, be it in the form of Marjorie's (admittedly weak) status as a "New Woman", or through the emasculation that the Beetle puts its male victims through. The novel is absolutely steeped in these concerns, which is likely why so many of our papers tackle the subject. "In Richard Marsh’s The Beetle, Victorian ideals and anxieties undergo an examination whereby masculinity and femininity are disrupted in order to suggest an ideal form of each. In my paper, I will be examining how Gothic Victorian novels often used horror as a way to express anxieties of the time, many of which regarded the ideas of gender. These anxieties mainly surrounded the ideal form of masculinity and femininity. Manhood was becoming increasingly scrutinized, as it was easy for men to fall beneath the ideal standards of Victorian masculinity through traits commonly classified as feminine. In Marsh’s The Beetle, the appearance of the entity known as the Beetle results in a confusion of Victorian gender ideals of both men and women. This confusion of gender is fueled by the Beetle itself, whose own gender is constantly questioned, along with a subversion of gender ideals seen in the characters of Robert Holt, Paul Lessingham, Sydney Atherton and Marjorie Lindon. The confusion of gender highlights the anxieties of gender performativity during the Victorian period, where men and women were very strictly bound by the rules of their gender. I will look at a variety of scholarly articles in order to broaden my own ideas regarding gender anxieties of the Victorian period presented throughout Marsh’s The Beetle. " Jaimee's piece focuses on the notion of "performative" gender, which is a topic that the novel invokes almost constantly, with characters constantly demanding each other "play the man"; the consequences of "performing" gender are felt most strongly in Marjorie and Holt, who are quite literally punished in the narrative for their deviation from the norm, but it is a persistent theme throughout the entire novel. "In the novel “The Beetle” by Richard Marsh, it is evident that the text seeks to examine the Victorian era anxieties about various ideas. Scholar Anna Maria Jones of Cambridge University mentions that “the Victorian Gothic may be read as an index of its culture’s anxieties, especially its repressed, displaced, disavowed fears and desires” (66). Foremost, the book exemplifies anxiety towards the question of male dominance. Marsh takes the rudimentary ideals from the Victorian era and challenges them throughout the novel. This text centralizes around a small creature who is able to captivate the attention of each character. “The Beetle” suggests that the continuation of male dominance is an uneasy concept through the character of the beetle. The beetle in the story is constantly considered on the basis of masculinity and femininity. As well, the characterization of the beetle is considered through its ability to be man or animal. To add to the confusion of the beetle’s identity, whether the creature is human or supernatural is yet another consideration. In multiple instances, the character of the beetle increases in complexity because these attempts to identify the beetle in each polarity often overlap. I wish to examine the complex relationship that is the beetle’s identity and consider the ways that this speaks to Victorian anxieties. I will also examine the relationship between each dichotomy to each other through the use of academic resources." For her part, Hailey concerns herself with the role of masculinity in a male-dominated society, which is complicated by the role of the genderless Beetle. This article suggests greater uncertainty on Marsh's part, raising the possibility that it is the intention of The Beetle ''to disrupt such a society. "Richard Marsh’s, The Beetle ''exposes and transforms gender anxiety. The novel depicts strong male characters as being easily overcome, diminishing their ideal and expected manhood. The novel represents female characters as breaking free from the conventional norm, and distinguishing themselves in a political society despite the efforts to maintain them in their suggested domestic space. The novel also exhibits the idea of a genderless character that does not fit the realm of masculinity or femininity, which arouses potential danger to characters that maintain an ability to stay within their traditional roles of gender expectations. Furthermore I will relate the gender anxieties to modern day politics and the allegations made towards males to demonstrate the intertwined chaos and ultimate balance that is inevitable when genders are targeted. By examining scholarly authors Natasha Rebry and Victoria Margree I will broaden my exploration of the gender anxieties that arouse in ''The Beetle ''and the responses of angst and uneasiness the characters acquire throughout the novel." Like Hailey, Victoria posits that the role of anxiety in the text is to deliberately trouble social norms; further, the text will examine the role of gender in the political sphere, which is the crux of Paul and Marjorie's relationship, as well as Dora Greyling's role in the text overall. Queerness as Threatening Of course, whether one interprets the text as a condemnation of masculinity or not, the fact remains that the Beetle is the primary threat of the novel, and while it represents a multitude of cultural fears we will not be fully covering, its ultimate effect on the text and most of its major characters is the disruption and complication of gender roles, which necessarily complicates the sexuality of these characters. To use a modern term, the effect is "queering". "A necessary foothold in a text celebrating the power of masculinity will always be the establishment of deviation from masculinity as “threatening”. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Richard Marsh’s ''The Beetle, ''a text which seems to obsess over the power and sanctity of masculinity, takes great pains to establish the eponymous Beetle as an enemy of masculinity and, more broadly, societal gender norms as a whole. This paper will therefore begin by establishing the text as a defence of masculinity, by way of interrogating the ultimate fate of each character versus their relationship with the cultural ideal of masculinity. From there, I will discuss the inherent queerness of the Beetle itself, the impact this has on other characters and their relationship with masculinity, and the notable similarities between the Beetle and the character Atherton. This relationship between Atherton and the Beetle is one of the most troubling aspects of the novel, as Atherton is rather worshipped by the text, despite his threatening "powers". It is to be suspected, then, that Atherton is saved, in a manner of speaking, by his masculinity, but this must be examined more closely." Emily's text focuses on the consequences of the above themes, with particular attention to the character Sydney Atherton, who functions in the narrative as almost a foil to the Beetle. He is characterised first and foremost however by his "powers" of science, and his equal obsession with Marjorie and Paul, all of which are key to this interpretation of the character.